Department for Transport

Railways: Solar Power

lord greaves: To ask Her Majesty's Government what consideration they are giving to, and what discussions they propose to hold with, the authors of the study Riding Sunbeams: Powering our railways with solar PV,publishedon 6 December.

baroness sugg: The Government is keen to support research into alternative and low emission power sources for the UK railway and welcomes this report. In 2012, the Government asked the Rail Technical Leadership Group (TLG) to develop and deliver a 30 year technical strategy for the railway. One of TLG’s objectives is to reduce carbon emissions, and the Government expects it to take account of this new research as part of its ongoing work.

Electric Vehicles

baroness redfern: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have a general strategy for electric vehicles.

baroness sugg: The coalition Government published a strategy for ultra low emission vehicles in the UK in September 2013. We will be publishing an updated strategy detailing Government’s role in the transition to zero emission vehicles and facilitating mass market for electric vehicles before the end of March 2018.

Aviation: Safety

lord storey: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the brace position that forms part of passenger airline safety instructions is a Government approved safety procedure.

baroness sugg: The requirement to carry out a safety briefing is contained in Regulation (EU) No 965/2012 (the Air Ops Regulation). The associated European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) Guidance Material states that the operator should consider including the brace position in its safety material. As this is Guidance Material it is not legally enforceable, but we would certainly consider it to be good practice.

Civil Aviation Authority: Recruitment

baroness randerson: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many additional staff have been employed by the Civil Aviation Authority as a direct result of the need to renegotiate EU Open Skies Agreementsafter Brexit; and at what grades those staff are employed.

baroness randerson: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many additional staff have been employed by the Civil Aviation Authority in order to support any effortsto renegotiate membership of the European Aviation Safety Agency,after Brexit; and at what grades those are staff employed.

baroness sugg: The Department for Transport, rather than the Civil Aviation Authority, is responsible for the UK’s international air services arrangements. The Department has the relevant experience and expertise needed to carry out bilateral aviation negotiations and to conclude these agreements. The nature of the UK’s participation with the European Aviation Safety Agency as a third country will be a matter for negotiation, and the Civil Aviation Authority will ensure it has sufficient staff to support the Government in doing that.

Bicycles: Hire Services

baroness randerson: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the growth of bike-share schemes in the UK.

baroness sugg: The Department for Transport continues to have regular dialogue with local authorities and others, including bike-share providers, about the growth of bike-share schemes and its potential impacts. The Department has, in recent months, met bike-share providers including Ofo, Mobike and Urbo, and local authorities including Cambridgeshire County Council and Transport for London to discuss some of the issues raised by the growth of bike-share schemes.

Bicycles: Hire Services

baroness randerson: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that local authorities have powers to regulate and manage any bike-share schemes that exist within theirareas.

baroness sugg: Under the Highways Act 1980, local authorities have the power to act if bicycles are causing an obstruction or nuisance on local roads or pavements. While they have no specific powers to regulate bike-share schemes in their areas, the Department for Transport is discussing possible options with them, and other stakeholders.

Bicycles: Hire Services

baroness randerson: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to promote bike-share schemes in urban areas; and what assessment they have made of their potential to lower congestion and improve air quality.

baroness sugg: The Government agrees that bike-share schemes have the potential to deliver various benefits, provided they are introduced and managed responsibly, but it would not be appropriate for the Government to promote individual schemes. The Government has not carried out any detailed assessment of their potential impact on congestion and air quality.

Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation

baroness randerson: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of delays to legislation on the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation on companies producing bioethanol.

baroness sugg: Subject to Parliamentary approval, we plan to amend the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation to increase targets for the supply of renewable fuels from April 2018. In September we published “The Renewable Transport Fuel Obligations Order, Government response to the consultation on amendments”. Annex A of that Government Response includes analysis of the costs and benefits of the proposals, including the impacts on the competitiveness of UK industry through an estimate of the gross value added to the UK economy by the biofuels industry under the proposed amendments. That analysis is based on an increase in targets set from 2018 to 2032.

Transport: Biofuels

lord truscott: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to increase biofuel use for transport in the UK by raising the blend level of biofuels in fuel, and introducing the use of E10 fuel, a mix of petrol with ten per cent bioethanol.

baroness sugg: Subject to Parliamentary approval, we plan to amend the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation to increase targets for the supply of renewable fuels from April 2018. We have established a working group with industry to consider the possible introduction of E10 fuel.

East-West Rail Link

lord berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what structural assessments have been commissioned for the Bletchley Flyover; and what assessment they have made of the impact on freight services of constructing a passenger station on that flyover.

baroness sugg: The East West Rail programme will breathe new life into the Bletchley Flyover which has not been used by regular passenger rail services for nearly 50 years. As part of Network Rail’s ongoing work, it is conducting a series of detailed surveys to fully assess the condition of structures along the route, including the flyover. This will inform the level of work required to deliver the new train service. The construction of new platforms on the flyover to form part of an expanded Bletchley station will have no impact on freight services.

East-West Rail Link

lord berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what provision for rail freight is planned for the Western Section of the East West Rail project.

baroness sugg: The East West Rail (Western Section) programme will retain all existing freight paths. The programme is already protecting future rail freight growth, with Network Rail in the process of completing surveys to determine the level of works required to create additional freight paths. A decision will be taken in early 2018 considering the value for money of the options available.

Unmanned Air Vehicles

lord fearn: To ask Her Majesty's Government what legal autonomous operation of aircraft is allowed during which a remotely piloted aircraft is operated without pilot intervention in the management of the flight.

baroness sugg: The Civil Aviation Authority’s (CAA) policy regarding autonomy in relation to unmanned aircraft is contained in its unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) guidance document, CAP722 (www.caa.co.uk/cap722). To date, the CAA has not received any applications to conduct autonomous UAS operations. Any application received would be extensively investigated and assessed to assure safety before any permissions to fly are issued.

High Speed 2 Railway Line: Cumbria

lord inglewood: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have ruled out including stops in Cumbria for the proposed HS2 rail line.

baroness sugg: Service assumptions for HS2 are still being developed, and exact timetables will be developed before HS2 operational services commence. We have not ruled out stops in Cumbria.

East Midlands Trains

baroness randerson: To ask Her Majesty's Government what consultation was undertaken with (1) local authorities, (2) rail user groups, and (3) passengers, prior to the announcement that, from 20 May 2018, no fast East Midlands Train services arriving to St Pancras station between 7am and 10am on weekdays will call at Bedford or Luton, and that no fast trains leaving St Pancras between 4pm and 7pm will stop at those stations.

baroness sugg: In order to realise the benefits of the Thameslink Programme and the planned upgrade to the Midland Mainline, to be completed in 2020, a temporary timetable has been developed from May 2018. This limits the impact to passengers until the planned capacity is fully available and balances the needs of passengers across the routes. This has resulted in the temporary removal of peak direction East Midlands Trains services between Bedford and Luton to St Pancras. At the same time a number of peak Thameslink services will operate a faster service to central London. It has not been possible to consult on these changes as is routinely done. The Department for Transport has given its authorisation for this approach.

East Midlands Trains

baroness randerson: To ask Her Majesty's Government why fast East Midlands Trains services between Bedford and Luton and St Pancras will cease during rush hours from May 2018; and what assessment they have made of the impact of those changes on the number of people using the railways.

baroness sugg: A new Thameslink timetable will be introduced from May 2018, which will increase the current provision of services to 18 trains per hour, and then gradually increase to 24 trains per hour by December 2019. The industry has, and continues, to work closely to develop timetables that maximise capacity, however this fundamentally means trying to fit more trains on the same amount of track. Some temporary changes have therefore been made to the May 2018 East Midlands Trains timetable until the completion of the Midland Main Line upgrade programme in 2020 which will mean peak-time services will no longer call at Bedford or Luton. The relevant operators are working to identify how a suitable balance between fast and stopping services can be provided from these locations during this period. The changes are estimated to impact those travelling from the North to Bedford (120 passengers) and Luton (85 passengers) and for commuter passengers into London from Bedford (1500 passengers) and Luton (500 passengers) per day. The commuter passengers will of course be able to transfer onto Govia Thameslink Railway trains.

Railways: Timetables

baroness randerson: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether Train Operating Companies are obliged to provide accurate timetables 12 weeks in advance which take account of planned infrastructure works over holiday periods; and what (1) redress, and (2) compensation, is available to passengers who bought tickets prior to the announcement of timetable changes.

baroness sugg: Train Operating Companies are required under their franchise agreements to inform passengers if they will be unable to operate trains in accordance with the timetable 4 weeks’ before the travel date, where possible. However, when things go wrong, and passengers are unable to make informed decisions about their ticket purchases, for example due to unannounced timetable changes arising from emergency engineering works (including during holiday periods), passengers are entitled to claim a refund. Condition 30 of the National Rail Conditions of Travel obliges train companies to refund passengers when they are unable to honour the original timetabled journey. No administration fee will be charged for these refunds.

International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships' Ballast Water and Sediments

lord teverson: To ask Her Majesty's Government what measures are(1)in place, and (2) planned, for the Maritime and Coastguard Agency to determine whether obligations under the International Maritime Organisation’s 2017 International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships' Ballast Water and Sediments to prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species are being met by visiting ships.

baroness sugg: The UK is yet to transpose the International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships' Ballast Water and Sediments. In the interim, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency has issued guidance to support the implementation of the requirements. The Government is committed to implementing the Convention domestically and officials are currently working to develop appropriate legislation. The UK implementation will include specific requirements for inspection and enforcement through Port State Control, for vessels visiting UK ports.

International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships' Ballast Water and Sediments

lord teverson: To ask Her Majesty's Government what training requirements are mandated for ships’ crews and port operatives to ensure compliance with the International Maritime Organisation’s 2017 International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships' Ballast Water and Sediments.

baroness sugg: There are no mandatory training requirements for ships’ crews and port operatives set out in the International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships' Ballast Water and Sediments. The Ballast Water Management Plans required on board ships, and any ballast treatment systems fitted to comply with the Convention, may require appropriate crew training to be undertaken in some cases. This training will fall under the mandate of the ship’s existing safety management system.

Shipping

lord teverson: To ask Her Majesty's Government whetherthey have plans to maintain a central register of ballast water discharge data, as undertaken in the United States by the Smithsonian Environmental Research Centre.

baroness sugg: At present, there are no plans to maintain a central register of ballast water discharge data as this is not required under the International Convention.

Great Western Railway Line: Electrification

lord bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the out-turn cost, in cost per single track kilometre, for completing the electrification of the Great Western Main Line.

baroness sugg: In the National Audit Office report earlier this year, the total estimated cost of the Great Western Route Modernisation infrastructure programme was £5.58billion.The Department for Transport does not hold information on the cost of per single track kilometre.

Midland Main Railway Line: Electrification

lord bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the projected cost, in cost per single track kilometre, for electrification of the Midland Main Line railway from Bedford to Corby.

baroness sugg: We are investing over £1 billion in the biggest upgrade of the Midland Main Line since it was completed in 1870. The specific costs of each element of the upgrade are commercially sensitive and cannot be released currently as this may prejudice future commercial arrangements by the Department for Transport and Network Rail.

Trains: Standards

lord bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment, if any, they have made of the difference in availability for service of bi-mode and electric Intercity Express Programme trains.

baroness sugg: When procuring the Intercity Express Programme (IEP) trains, the Department for Transport specified the number of train diagrams required rather than the total number of trains. It was for bidders to decide how many trains were needed to deliver those contracted diagrams, whether electric or bi-mode, based on assumptions for the split of diesel and electric mileages. When making those assessments bidders will have taken into account both the different maintenance needs for electric and bi-mode trains as well as the increased flexibility of having bi-mode trains that are able to fulfil an electric diagram (in the absence of an electric train) but potentially not the other way around.

Midland Main Railway Line

lord bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have made any assessment of the estimated additional track wear maintenance costs that might occur on the Midland Main Line as a result of the use of bi-mode Intercity Express Programme trains rather than electric trains.

baroness sugg: It would not have been possible to run electric trains to Sheffield until at least the start of 2024 when the infrastructure might have been delivered. The value for money for this work, taking account of the impact of HS2, was poor which is why this work is not being pursued and other upgrades are being delivered along this route that will deliver the same passenger benefits more quickly. Variable Track Access Charge (VTAC) rates are paid by Train Operating Companies to Network Rail for use of its infrastructure. The purpose of this charge is to allow Network Rail to recover its operating, maintenance and renewal costs that vary with traffic (including track wear and tear). No new trains have yet been ordered for the Midland Mainline and this would be subject to competition and future design, so therefore precise information on the VTAC rates for the new bi-mode rolling stock are not yet available. Analysis on the Midland Main Line programme conducted earlier this year assumed VTAC rates for electric trains would be around 1/5th lower than that for bi-modes. The design of new rolling stock can be optimised to minimise track wear. However, in practice the design and specification of new trains is based on a wide range of often conflicting considerations that need to be balanced to achieve the best solution in the round. Track wear is only one of these considerations and it would be misleading to base design choices on track wear alone. Track access charges are only one part of rail industry costs and we make decisions looking at all factors and costs and benefits in the round.

Trains: Standards

lord bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have made any assessment of differing levels of performance and reliability between bi-mode Intercity Express Programme trains and electric trains when in traffic.

baroness sugg: The Intercity Express Programme agreements embody reliability targets that are designed to produce a step change in performance for the benefit of passengers and to create value to the taxpayer for the next 27.5 years. Those reliability targets were built up using different assumptions for diesel and electric operations, the precise levels of which remain commercially confidential, and will have a direct impact on the payments made to Agility Trains. Once the full fleet is in service and current electrification programme is complete, the payments made to Agility Trains and deductions for poor performance will make no distinction over whether in diesel or electric operation.

Railways: Bridges

lord berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the average cost to Network Rail of a bridge strike by a truck; how many instances of bridge strikes have been recorded in each of the past five years; and whether they encourage Network Rail to claim from the drivers of the trucks involved (1) a reimbursement of repair costs, (2) Schedule 8 payments to train operators, and (3) other related costs.

baroness sugg: The number of bridge strikes recorded in each of the past five years are given below: 2012/13 – 16452013/14 – 18092014/15 – 18102015/16 – 17422016/17 - 1774 On average each bridge strike costs the taxpayer £13,500, adding up to £23m a year in damages and delays.Recent precedents in legal cases mean that Network Rail can now claim back the schedule 8 costs when a bridge is struck and delays are caused.Network Rail recovered £6m in the last financial year from insurers for compensation for bridge strikes, in previous years the recovery rate was typically between £3-5m. The rate of recovery is rising following legal precedents that allow the recovery of the costs for compensating train operators for delays. This includes recovery of schedule 8 costs, which make up the vast majority of costs, repair costs and other related costs.

Roads: Repairs and Maintenance

baroness kennedy of cradley: To ask Her Majesty's Government which local authorities have so far been allocated funds from the Pothole Action Fund.

baroness sugg: To date the Department has allocated £120 million from the Pothole Action Fund to all the local highway authorities in England, outside London, with the exception of Birmingham, Sheffield and the Isle of Wight as they have operational highway maintenance Private Finance Initiative contracts. Details of this funding can be found in the announcements of 7 April 2016 and 13 January 2016 on the Department’s website (www.gov.uk).

East-West Rail Link

baroness kennedy of cradley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the timescale for the reopening of the Oxford–Cambridge rail link.

baroness sugg: The Chancellor of the Exchequer’s Autumn Budget reaffirmed the government’s commitment to the reopening of the Oxford-Cambridge rail link and the realisation of this important growth corridor’s full potential. A new East West Rail Company has been established to accelerate delivery, with the aim of completing the full route by the mid-2020s.

Driving under Influence

baroness finlay of llandaff: To ask Her Majesty's Government, whether in their assessment of the case for reducing the drink drive limit they took account of the fall in drink drive law enforcement levels in the last five years set out in the report from the Institute of Alcohol Studies.

baroness sugg: The Government welcomes the report from the Institute of Alcohol Studies, but has no plans for lowering the drink drive limit in England and Wales. Police have the powers they need to keep our roads safe, and latest Department for Transport figures show that fewer people died on British roads in 2015 as a result of drink driving than in any year since records began. It is for Chief Constables and locally elected Police and Crime Commissioners to decide how to deploy their resources in response to local priorities.

Private Roads

lord kennedy of southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their estimate of the number of unadopted roads in England.

baroness sugg: The Department for Transport does not hold data on the number of unadopted roads in England. Decisions on whether to adopt individual streets are a matter for local highway authorities.

Aviation

lord whitty: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have for future relationships post-Brexit between (1) UK public agencies, and (2) UK industry, and the European Aviation Safety Agency and Eurocontrol.

baroness sugg: The Government is considering carefully all the potential implications arising from the UK’s exit from the EU, including the implications for continued or discontinued participation in the European Aviation Safety Agency. The nature of the UK’s participation with the Agency as a third country will be a matter for the negotiations. Eurocontrol is not an EU institution, so the UK will continue to be a member after our exit from the EU.

Roads: Construction

lord bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many major highway enhancement schemes costing more than £1 billion, were completed in the period 2010–15; what were the value for money criteria on which those projects were authorised; how much of any assessed benefit was attributed to time savings by road users; and whether the anticipated savings have been realised.

baroness sugg: There are no major highway enhancements in England costing more than £1bn completed in the period 2010-15.

Home Office

Scrap Metal Dealers Act 2013

lord wasserman: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Ministerial Statement byBaroness Williams of Trafford on 11 December (HLWS328), whether Police and Crime Commissioners were consulted as part of the Home Office review of the Scrap Metal Dealers Act 2013; and if so, what contribution they made to that review.

baroness williams of trafford: Police and Crime Commissioners were not consulted specifically as part of the Home Office review of the Scrap Metal Dealers Act 2013. However, the Home Office received views on the review from over 50 interested individuals or organisations, including from the police and representatives of the metal recycling industry.

Offences against Children

lord blencathra: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the finding of the report by Quilliam, Group Based Child Sexual Exploitation – Dissecting Grooming Gangs, published in December, that 84 per cent of child sexual exploitation offenders who operate in gangs or groups are Asian, most of whom are men “of Pakistani (Muslim) origin, and the majority of their victims are young, white girls”; whether they plan to provide education and outreach to (1) the British Pakistani Muslim community to tackle such behaviour, and (2) to potential victims of grooming in areas with a large Pakistani Muslim community on the risks of being targeted by such gangs; and what guidance they have given to police forces in areas where such gangs are known to operate to give priority to tackling such grooming.

baroness williams of trafford: People who abuse children must be stopped – their race, age or gender is irrelevant. Child sexual exploitation is not exclusive to any single culture, community, race or religion. It happens in all areas of the country and can take many different forms. However, political or cultural sensitivities must not get in the way of preventing and uncovering child abuse. Our new £7.5 million centre of expertise on child abuse is conducting research into offender motivations, so that we can better understand and target different forms of offending.We are strengthening law enforcement capacity and capability and have provided millions of pounds of extra investment to transform policing to respond to changing crimes such as child sexual abuse, including continued funding for the network of police CSE coordinators and analysts who identify organised child sexual abuse across police force boundaries so that offenders are subject to a robust response wherever they offend.This has led to a huge increase in the volume of police activity – we have seen the volume of recording of child sexual abuse offences by the police increase by 164% since 2013. An increasing number of CSE cases have been prosecuted in the courts and heavy sentences handed down.

Domestic Violence

lord wasserman: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byBaroness Williams of Trafford on 14 December (HL4022), whether they will place a copy of the Authorised Professional Practice for Domestic Abuse in the Library of the House.

baroness williams of trafford: The College of Policing maintains and updates the Authorised Professional Practise for Domestic Abuse, which provides national guidance on handling domestic abuse incidents.The Authorised Professional Practise for Domestic Abuse is a public document available only in an online format, which can be found via the following link; https://www.app.college.police.uk/app-content/major-investigation-and-public-protection/domestic-abuse/

Madeleine McCann

lord black of brentwood: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byBaroness Williams of Trafford on22 November (HL3177), whether any request has been made by the Metropolitan Police to extend the funding for Operation Grange beyond the end of March 2018.

baroness williams of trafford: To date no request has been received from the Metropolitan Police Service to extend funding for Operation Grange beyond the end of March 2018.

Refugees

lord marlesford: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many refugees have (1) been granted permanent residence status, and(2) had their applications rejected, in each of the last ten years.

baroness williams of trafford: The available information is given in the table below.Asylum-related grants and refusals of settlementCategory2007200820092010201120122013201420152016Total asylum-related grants10,2511,9952,1023,1587,4936,49811,1729,6969,9977,572of which:Recognised refugees3027151,3486,6845,1989,2507,9898,7786,021Persons previously given ELR, HP or DL8,8496252121544497041,305894296214Granted under the Family ILR exercise215zzzzzzzzzOther asylum-related grants1,1571,3431,8751,6563605966178139231,337Total asylum-related refusals::::2016383632z = Not applicable.: = not availableSource: Home Office, Immigration Statistics July to September 2017, tables se_01, se_02 and corresponding datasetsInformation on grants and refusals of settlement (permanent residence) are published in the Home Office’s ‘Immigration Statistics’, settlement tables se_01 and se_02, available on the GOV.UK website.

Refugees: Families

lord marlesford: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many partners and children have been reunited with their refugee family members under the immigration rules and family reunion policy in each of the last ten years.

baroness williams of trafford: Information on the total number of Family: Other visa applications and grants is published quarterly.The most recent data can be found in the Home Office publication ‘Immigration Statistics, July – September 2017’. A breakdown of Family: Other visa grants by year are provided in the table below.Entry clearance visas granted by category and country of nationality: Family: OtherYearGranted20074,49720083,63220094,20920104,88720114,30620123,71020134,21120144,59620154,88720166,098Q1-Q3 20173,801Source: Home Office Immigration Statistics July to September 2017, Table vi_01_q

Refugees: Syria

lord scriven: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to their response to the House of Commons International Development Committee's reportSyrian refugees crisis(1st report, 2015–16, HC Paper 463 and 5th Special Report, 2015–16, HC Paper 902), whether they plan torecord the sexual orientation or gender identity of people referred to the UK for resettlement if and when it is declared by the refugee.

baroness williams of trafford: We do not ask individuals referred to the UK for resettlement by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to disclose their sexual orientation, therefore this is not recorded unless it is a factor in their need for protection.Individuals who require protection because of their sexual orientation are likely to be referred to us under UNCHR’s vulnerability category of ‘Legal and/or Physical Protection Needs’. We have no plans to change this approach.

Refugees: Syria

lord scriven: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps have been taken to intensify outreach to LGBT refugees who may be in need of resettlement under the Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme.

baroness williams of trafford: In all of the countries from which we resettle refugees fleeing the Syrian conflict, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has undertaken significant efforts to ensure that LGBTI individuals are able to register. These include establishing mobile registration units, outreach teams and help desks for areas where different minority groups are concentrated. This is all part of an effort to facilitate registration for those refugees who, for whatever reason, cannot or choose not to access the main registration offices.In addition to training its staff on LGBTI issues, UNHCR also works closely with partner non-governmental organisations (NGOs) supporting the LGBTI community in the region to facilitate registration, ensure access to services and explore available durable solutions, which may include consideration for resettlement. The NGOs have autonomy to refer such cases to UNHCR where particular protection concerns exist.

Refugees: Syria

lord scriven: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many single people, couples and families have been resettled to the UK under the Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme.

baroness williams of trafford: Details of the marital status and family composition of those arriving under the Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme (VPRS) are not publishedA total of 9,394 people have been resettled under the VPRS since the scheme began. Around half of those resettled under the VPRS were under 18 years old, and around half were female.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Ofgem: Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators

lord whitty: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have for future relationships post-Brexit between Ofgem and the European Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators.

lord henley: The Government will ensure that we maintain affordable, clean and secure energy supplies for households and businesses across the UK when we leave the European Union. As part of this, we are considering our future relationship with the EU on energy, including between UK and EU regulatory bodies.

EU Energy Policy

baroness featherstone: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessmentthey have made of the appropriateness of membership of the Energy Union after Brexit.

lord henley: The Government is currently considering all aspects of its future relationship with the EU, including in energy. Our priority is to maintain affordable, clean and secure energy supplies for businesses and households.The UK will remain closely linked to our European partners after the UK’s exit from the EU, including physically as regards to electricity and gas interconnectors, and we continue to collaborate on current and future regulatory and technical arrangements.As part of the negotiations on our future relationship, we would welcome a full and open discussion about all of the options for ongoing collaboration, including options for UK participation in EU programmes, agencies and other bodies.

Energy: Regulation

baroness featherstone: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure regulatory alignment in the energy market after Brexit.

lord henley: The Government’s priority is to maintain affordable, clean and secure energy supplies for businesses and households. As part of this we share the EU’s ambition to make energy trading easier and more efficient by opening up national markets and increasing the level of interconnection between them.We want to continue arrangements which allow the efficient trade in electricity and gas, both on the island of Ireland, and between the UK and continental Europe.We continue to closely collaborate on current and future regulatory and technical arrangements. For example, I was pleased to be able to represent the Government at the Energy Council on 18 December at which General Agreements were reached on four legislative proposals within the Clean Energy package.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Asim Omer

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 31 October (HL2092), whatfurther representations they have made to the government of Sudan about the case of Asim Omer, following the ruling of the Khartoum Court of Appeals of 5 December to uphold the death sentence against him.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: In a meeting on 5 December, the day of the ruling by the Khartoum Court of Appeals, our Ambassador raised with the Foreign Ministry our concerns about the case of Asim Omer, and made clear our strong opposition to the use of the death penalty in all circumstances.

North Korea: Refugees

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 5 December (HL3335), whether they were aware that a four-year-old child was among the ten North Korean refugees awaiting repatriation by China to North Korea.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: We are aware of some reports to this effect from international non-governmental organisations and open source media. The British Government is clear that, under the 1951 UN Refugee Convention, China should regard North Koreans fleeing the DPRK as refugees rather than economic migrants. As such, we expect China to observe the fundamental principle that refugees should not be returned to a country where they may be subject to persecution.

North Korea: Human Rights

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Ahmad of Wimbledonon 5 December (HL3335),whether they accept the findings of the UN Commission of Inquiry that (1) North Korea is a state "without parallel", (2) more than 100,000 people are in gulags, and (3) repatriation of refugees invariably results in them being sent to gulags.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The British Government remains extremely concerned by the appalling human rights situation in the DPRK as outlined in the UN Commission of Inquiry (COI) report. We have repeatedly made clear our serious concerns about the regime's treatment of its people, both directly to the DPRK government and through multilateral fora.We have consistently called on the DPRK to allow independent inspections of the humanitarian situation. On 11 December, UK Permanent Representative to the UN, Matthew Rycroft, echoed this call during a speech to the UN Security Council meeting on human rights in the DPRK. The speech also referenced the regime's refusal to act on the COI's findings.We agree unequivocally with the recommendation of Tomas Ojea Quintana, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the DPRK, that the DPRK should refrain from using any form of punishment or retaliation against people who are forcibly repatriated.

North Korea: Human Rights

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they accept the findings of the UN Commission of Inquiry on human rights in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (1) that North Koreans who are deemed to be opponents of the State are routinely sent to gulags, become slave labour, are subjected to forced abortions, torture and execution, and (2) that repatriation of refugees invariably results in them being sent to gulags.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The British Government remains extremely concerned by the appalling human rights situation in the DPRK as outlined in the UN Commission of Inquiry (COI) report. We have repeatedly made clear our serious concerns about the regime's treatment of its people, both directly to the DPRK government and through multilateral fora.We have consistently called on the DPRK to allow independent inspections of the humanitarian situation. On 11 December, UK Permanent Representative to the UN, Matthew Rycroft, echoed this call during a speech to the UN Security Council meeting on human rights in the DPRK. The speech also referenced the regime's refusal to act on the COI's findings.We agree unequivocally with the recommendation of Tomas Ojea Quintana, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the DPRK, that the DPRK should refrain from using any form of punishment or retaliation against people who are forcibly repatriated.

Turkey: Political Prisoners

lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they are making to the government of Turkey following the exclusion of international observers from the trial held inside a maximum security prison in Ankara on 6 and 7 December of Selahattin Demirtaş and Figen Yűksekdağ, joint leaders of the HDP opposition party.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: We note the importance of providing a public hearing at such trials. We frequently raise with the Turkish government the need to comply with international human rights standards. Alongside other like-minded embassies in Turkey, we regularly monitor high profile trials. British Embassy staff attempted to monitor this particular trial but were not permitted to do so.

Kosovo: International Assistance

lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will contribute to the trust fund proposed by the UN Secretary-General on 26 May for community-based assistance projects in Kosovo.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The Government has not contributed to the UN trust fund for community-based assistance projects in Kosovo. The UK, through our Embassy in Pristina, supports the return of displaced families from all communities to their place of origin. This financial year, the British Embassy’s Returns Project is supporting the return of five Roma families with housing and support packages. The British Embassy further supports local efforts to improve school attendance and participation by children from Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian communities.

Jerusalem

baroness sheehan: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether it is the position of (1) HM Government, and (2) the UN, that East Jerusalem is an occupied territory.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The position of the British Government on Jerusalem has remained constant since April 1950, when the UK extended de jure recognition to the State of Israel, but withheld recognition of sovereignty over Jerusalem pending a final determination of its status. We recognise Israel's 'de facto authority' over West Jerusalem. But in-line with UN Security Council Resolution 242 (1967) and subsequent UN Council resolutions, we regard East Jerusalem as part of the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

Oman al-Bashir

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they intend to takein response to the International Criminal Court's proposal to refer Jordan to the UN Security Council for its failure to arrest Sudan's indicted President Omar al-Bashir when he attended an Arab League summit in Jordan in March.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The United Kingdom has encouraged fellow UN Security Council members to consider carefully what more the Council can do to ensure that the International Criminal Court (ICC) receives the necessary support, which would include action on Court referrals to it, and will continue to do so. The United Kingdom raised the importance of cooperation with the ICC on 11 December at the Assembly of States Parties and on 12 December at the UN Security Council. We called on all States Parties to the ICC to cooperate with the Court and to consult the Court if they feel that they are unable to co-operate with it for any reason. The United Kingdom will continue to raise our concerns with the non-cooperating governments, including through the European Union.

Turkey: Crimes of Violence

lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports of a rising number of gender-motivated murders in Turkey, and of related gender violence, including child abuse; and whether they intend to make representations to the government of Turkey concerning its response to such violence.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: Our Embassy in Ankara is in regular discussion with the Turkish government, civil society groups, businesses and UN agencies on how to address the issue of violence against women and children. The Family and Social Affairs Minister has said Turkey has a zero tolerance policy for violence against women and is committed to taking action in this area, as well as on child abuse.

Iyad Burnat

lord warner: To ask Her Majesty's Government what reports they have received, if any, concerning the detentionby the Israeli Defence Force of the son, Abdal Khaliq, and friends of Iyad Burnat, a Palestinian farmer and activist; what discussions they have held with the government of Israel concerning the fate of those detainees; and whether they will seek assurances from the government of Israel that the reported actions were not the result of Iyad Burnat's meeting with UK parliamentarians.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: We have not received any reports relating to this issue and as such we have not raised this specific issue with the Israeli authorities.

Gulf States: Human Rights

lord warner: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byBaroness Fairhead on 14 November (HL2772), whether they have had discussions with the governments of (1) Saudi Arabia, (2) United Arab Emirates, and (3) Bahrain, about the specific individual breaches of human rights identified by the National Human Rights Committee of Qatar; and what assessment they have made of the seriousness of those breaches.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: While we have not raised these specific issues we call upon the Gulf States to find a way of de-escalating the situation and lifting the current restrictions, which are having an impact on the everyday lives of people in the region. The UK encourages all countries to uphold international human rights obligations and work with those determined to reform. Our embassies maintain regular dialogue with officials and leaders on a range of topics, including human rights issues.

Russia: Trade Promotion

viscount waverley: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to discuss the possible re-establishment of the Russo–British Trade and Investment Council during the forthcoming visit of the Foreign Secretary to Moscow.

viscount waverley: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to appoint a Prime Minister’s trade envoy to Russia.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The Inter-Governmental Steering Committee on Trade and Investment was postponed in 2014, following Russia's illegal annexation of Crimea. Given Russia's continued destabilising activities in Ukraine, we have no plans to revive the talks.The Foreign Secretary will be discussing a range of issues during his visit later this month, in particular international security issues including Ukraine, Syria, Iran and North Korea.We have no current plans to appoint a trade envoy to Russia. The Department for International Trade (DIT) regularly assess markets' suitability for a Trade Envoy, based on a number of criteria, including the current political situation. DIT continues to support UK companies with targeted events and trade missions through our staff in the British Embassy in Moscow and the Consulates in St Petersburg and Ekaterinburg, provided they are compliant with EU sanctions legislation.

Israel: Palestinians

baroness deech: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to theInternational Committee of the Red Cross regarding reports that a Red Crescent ambulance was used to transport Palestinians, disguised as wounded, to join a riot in Ramallah.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: We have not raised this issue with the International Committee of the Red Cross.

Jerusalem

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they will take to ensure that non-Jewish residents of East Jerusalem are protected following President Trump’s decision recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: As the Prime Minister made clear in her statement on 6 December, the UK disagrees with the US decision to move its embassy to Jerusalem and recognise Jerusalem as the Israeli capital before a final status agreement. We will continue regularly to make clear our serious concerns about the situation in East Jerusalem to the Israeli authorities and the Municipality of Jerusalem, both bilaterally and in co-operation with EU partners. These concerns include: the evictions of Palestinians and the demolition of Palestinian property; the construction of illegal Israeli settlements; the removal of residency rights from Palestinians; possible unilateral changes to the municipal borders; and the severe difficulties in accessing Jerusalem for Palestinians from the West Bank, or for those residents of Jerusalem who live beyond the Separation Barrier.

West Bank: Environment Protection

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel regarding reports that Israel has exploited less stringent environmental regulations on air pollution and environmental protection in the West Bank.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: While we have not raised this issue with the Israeli authorities, the British Government has made clear to the Government of Israel its concerns about the humanitarian and environmental impact of the damage to water sources and the destruction of Palestinian agricultural land that has been caused by settlement-related building activity.

Khalid Zabarqeh

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government ofIsrael regarding the arrest of Khalid Zabarqeh.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: We have not had any discussions with the Israeli authorities regarding this specific case.

Israeli Settlements

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Ahmad of Wimbledonon 4 December (HL3409), what action they intend to take to reinforce their "strong condemnation" of the decisions on 4 and 6 July to advance plans for 1,600 new settlement units in the illegal settlements of Pisgat Ze’ev, Ramat Shlomo, and Ramot in East Jerusalem.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The UK will continue to take every opportunity to reinforce its clear position on settlements at the highest levels. Settlements are illegal under international law, present an obstacle to peace, and threaten the physical viability of a two-state solution.

Israel: Palestinians

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Ahmad of Wimbledonon 5 December (HL3412), what action they intend to take ease restrictions on freedom of movement within theWest Bank, including to and from East Jerusalem, for Palestinians.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: We will continue to raise our serious concerns about the restrictions on freedom of movement within the West Bank, including to and from East Jerusalem, with the appropriate authorities.

Syria: Peace Negotiations

lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the prospects for further ceasefires in Syria; and whether they consider local ceasefires to be as important as wider UN initiatives.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: We welcome any initiative that contributes to a reduction of violence in Syria and creates the conditions for a sustainable political settlement. Local agreements can contribute to this goal, but the goal must remain a full nationwide cessation of hostilities. We are disappointed that in spite of announcements of de-escalation, violence continues, particularly in Eastern Ghouta, and the regime continues to obstruct humanitarian access. We are clear that the UN-led Geneva process between the Syrian parties remains the forum for reaching a lasting solution to the conflict.

Commonwealth: Brexit

baroness northover: To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they will take at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting to reassure developing Commonwealth countries about measures taken to reduce the impact of Brexit on them.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The Government will remain as committed after EU exit as now, supporting developing countries in reducing poverty through trade and investment. The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting is an opportunity to demonstrate this. We continue to work closely with the Commonwealth Secretariat and partners to develop an agenda that will help reduce barriers to trade and create stable business environments that promote intra-Commonwealth trade and investment.  While the formal agenda remains for discussion and negotiation between member states, the UK hopes the Commonwealth can become a champion for an inclusive, free and open multilateral trading system that harnesses trade and investment as an engine for development.

Department for International Development

Commonwealth Scholarships Programme

lord kennedy of southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many scholarships and fellowships have been awarded by the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission in each year since 2010; for which courses; and in which locations.

lord bates: The total number of scholarships and fellowships awarded since 2010 are set out below. Details of how many scholarships and fellowships have been awarded in each year since 2010; for which courses; and in which locations are set out in the attached table (data provided by CSC). Total awards by programme (Masters, Phd, Fellows etc) from 2010-2017: 6,631 Total awards by field of study excluding Professional Fellowships, (science, health education etc) from 2010-2017: 5,742 Total awards by UK Institution (excl. Distance Learning and Professional Fellowships) from 2010-2017: 4,147 Total awards by UK Institution (Distance Learning) from 2010-2017: 1,595 Total awards by UK Host Institution (Professional Fellows) from 2010-2017: 877 



HL4506 attachment
(Excel SpreadSheet, 41.46 KB)

Development Aid

lord boateng: To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress they have made in relation to the OECD's Development Assistance Committee redesignating British Overseas Territories and Commonwealth Island States so that they would be eligible for Overseas Development Aid.

lord boateng: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the provisions of the Commonwealth Vulnerability Index as additional criteria to determine the classification of developing countries for the purpose of meeting needs (1) in the aftermath of natural disasters, and (2) generally.

lord bates: The UK continues to support the current methodology for assessing the graduation of countries from Official Development Assistance (ODA) where countries and territories cease to be ODA-eligible when they reach High Income Status, including for British Overseas Territories and Commonwealth Island States. However, following the recent devastation of small islands in the Caribbean, we are pleased that agreement was reached at the OECD Development Assistance Committee’s (OECD-DAC) High Level Meeting in October to establish a process which could allow previous recipients of ODA to receive short-term ODA support in the event of catastrophic humanitarian crises. We also welcome the OECD-DAC’s agreement on the need to create a new mechanism to allow countries to receive ODA when their income falls below the High Income threshold, for example as a result of a catastrophic natural disaster or other crisis. Officials have considered the Commonwealth Vulnerability Index and take this into account when looking at the issue of vulnerability. We agree that some states face particular vulnerabilities and the Government will continue to work with the international community to ensure that vulnerable states receive the support they need.

Caribbean: Hurricanes and Tornadoes

lord boateng: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of hurricane damage to the infrastructure of (1) Dominica, and (2) Antigua.

lord bates: A comprehensive Post Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA) of the hurricane damage has recently been completed in both Dominica and in Antigua and Barbuda. These were jointly undertaken by the World Bank, EU, UN Development Programme and the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction. HMG’s support for reconstruction in both countries will follow the recommendations made in those needs assessments.The detailed figures of the impact on infrastructure from the PDNA are below, all figures have been converted from US $:DominicaInfrastructure SectorDamages (£ M)Losses (£ M)Needs (£ M)Transport13640225Electricity252560Water and Sanitation183042Telecommunication36636Airports and Port14217Total229103380 Antigua and BarbudaInfrastructure SectorDamages (£)Losses (£)Needs (£)Transport12,059,488237,58821,676,863Electricity2,464,876193,2786,154,170Water and Sanitation217,7460259,152Telecommunication523,96227,601523,951Total15,266,072458,46728,614,136

Caribbean: Hurricanes and Tornadoes

lord boateng: To ask Her Majesty's Government what budgetary allocation have they made in relation to the post hurricane reconstruction of (1) Dominica, and (2) Antigua.

lord bates: Her Majesty’s Government has allocated a total of £32 million to support Dominica; £7 million for emergency relief and early recovery, and £25 million of which is for post hurricane reconstruction. HMG has allocated £3 million to Antigua and Barbuda for post hurricane reconstruction.Both islands will also benefit from regional climate resilience and disaster preparedness planning of £8 million which will be allocated through consultation with partners and the Caribbean Governments.

Greece: Refugees

lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to ensure that a proportion of their aid for refugees, together with that of the EU and other international partner donors, goes to Middle Eastern and other refugees now in Greece, and in particular on the Aegean Islands; and if so, what proportion of that aid they intend to provide to those refugees.

lord bates: In response to the refugee crisis in Greece, the UK has provided 500,000 relief items such as tents, blankets and clothes, and delivered more than 1.4 million meals to vulnerable migrants and refugees. In addition to this support to Greece (totalling £39 million), the UK has pledged £2.46 billion in aid to Syria and the surrounding region, reducing the need for people to take perilous journeys to Europe.Since early 2016, substantial EU funding, including a significant UK contribution, has been made available for refugees in Greece. At the same time, there has been a considerable reduction in the number of people arriving. Whilst the UK continues to deploy expert staff to ease overcrowding on the islands, our bilateral humanitarian work has come to an end. We are now focussing our efforts on the Central Mediterranean, where large numbers of refugees and migrants are still making the risky journeys.

Department for Education

Students: Disability

lord addington: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the compliance of all higher education providers with their duties under the Equality Act 2010 and Human Rights Act 1998 in regard to disabled students.

viscount younger of leckie: Higher education (HE) providers are independent and autonomous bodies, and as such are responsible for fulfilling their duties under both acts. Recent changes to Disabled Students’ Allowances sought to encourage all HE providers to fulfil their responsibilities under the Equality Act 2010. However, it is for higher education institutions to ensure adherence. The Higher Education Funding Council for England recently published a review of the provision of support to disabled students, which contains examples of good practice from across the sector. It also contains recommendations that give clear indications of actions that can help HE providers improve their offer to disabled students. The Equality and Human Rights Commission provides technical guidance on the Equality Act, and the Office of the Independent Adjudicator outlines good practice guidance for universities to consider when supporting disabled students. The Equality Challenge Unit supports equality and diversity for staff and students in HE, and also publishes technical guidance on the Equality Act.

Universities: Governing Bodies

lord patten: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the Cadbury Report (1992), Greenbury Report (1995) and their successors as models for anyfuture reports concerning corporate governance in universities.

viscount younger of leckie: Any future reports the government might commission in relation to corporate governance in universities would need to evaluate the models of previous reports, such as the Cadbury Report (1992) and the Greenbury Report (1995) on a case by case basis. Any such assessment would need to take into account the timing, scope and context of any such future report.

Students: Fees and Charges

lord patten: To ask Her Majesty's Government, whether they intend to encourage universities to follow the example of Central St Martin's London in refunding students for failure to provide adequate tuition in their courses.

viscount younger of leckie: Decisions on students’ issues are primarily for individual institutions. Higher Education providers (HEPs) are, in the first instance, responsible for the management of their own internal affairs, complying with relevant legislation. Responsibility for handling a student complaint is initially a matter for the relevant Higher Education provider. Where a student complaint cannot be resolved through the institution’s complaint processes, they can take their complaint to the Office of the Independent Adjudicator (OIA) for Higher Education. The OIA was established in 2004 as an alternative to the courts and is free of charge to students. HEPs can also have responsibilities under consumer law which should be discharged fully, and policies and procedures should be in place to comply with the law. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has published guidance to help HEPs understand their obligations under consumer law. The government has published a consultation on behalf of the new Office for Students (OfS) regarding the regulation of the higher education sector. The consultation includes a proposal that the OfS will require registered HEPs in the approved and approved (fee cap) categories to demonstrate that they have given due regard to relevant guidance, such as that of CMA, to comply with consumer law when developing their procedures governing their contractual relationships with students. The consultation closes on 22 December and a response will be published in due course.

Ministry of Justice

Video Games: Children

lord storey: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many prosecutions for (1) selling, and (2) supplying, age-rated video games to under-age children have taken place in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

lord keen of elie: Defendants proceeded against for selling or supplying age rated video games to under age children in England and Wales 2012 to 2016 can be viewed in the table below. Defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts for selling or supplying age-rated video games (1) to under-age children in England and Wales 2012-2016 (2)(3). 201220132014201520168-1--' - ' = Nil(1) section 9(1) to 13(1)(3)(5) of the Video Recordings Act 1984.(2) The figures given in the table relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe.(3) This information was obtained from a manual review of court case files that centrally held data indicated may be relevant, and as such has not been through the same quality assurance processes as for routinely published data. However, every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. It is also important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services - Ministry of Justice.

NHS: Negligence

lord colwyn: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to increase the small claims track threshold for clinical negligence cases in medical and dental practice.

lord keen of elie: The Government announced on 23 February 2017 that it intends to increase the small claims track limit for personal injury claims from £1,000 to £5,000 for road traffic accident related claims, and to £2,000 for all other personal injury claims (including clinical negligence). These reforms will be taken forward through secondary legislation. These planned increases are part of a package of reforms, other elements of which will be taken forward in the Civil Liability Bill which the Government announced in the Queen’s Speech. Details of these reforms were set out in the Government’s response to the ‘Reforming the Soft Tissue Injury (‘whiplash’) Claims Process consultation - https://consult.justice.gov.uk/digital-communications/reforming-soft-tissue-injury-claims.

Civil Litigation Costs Review

lord colwyn: To ask Her Majesty's Government what action has been taken in response to the Lord Justice Jackson review on fixed recoverable costs.

lord keen of elie: The Government is committed to ensuring that the costs of litigation are proportionate. As part of this, we are considering Lord Justice Jackson’s report on extending fixed recoverable costs (FRC) in civil cases, published on 31 July 2017. We are grateful to Lord Justice Jackson for his expertise and industry in compiling his report. We announced at the Public Accounts Committee hearing on 16 October 2017 that we have already accepted his recommendation to commission the Civil Justice Council to devise a bespoke process and set of FRC for clinical negligence cases up to £25k damages. We will set out the way forward on the rest of the recommendations shortly. We will consult before implementing any changes.

Personal Injury: Compensation

lord colwyn: To ask Her Majesty's Government what the expected timescales are for introducing legislation to amend the Damages Act 1996 with regard to how the discount rate is set.

lord keen of elie: On 30 November the Justice Select Committee published the report of its pre-legislative scrutiny inquiry into the draft legislation on the personal injury discount rate published by the Ministry of Justice on 7 September (Cmnd 9500). The Government will respond to the Committee’s conclusions and other comments received on the draft legislation and set out its views on the way forward, including in relation to the introduction of legislation, within two months of the publication of the Committee’s report.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Agriculture: Seasonal Workers

lord greaves: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their estimate of the number of seasonal workers who were employed in (1) the horticultural sector, and (2) other forms of agriculture, in (a) 2017 to date, and (b) each of the preceding five years; and how many of those workers were migrants from EU countries.

lord gardiner of kimble: Defra, as part of its June Survey of Horticulture and Agriculture, collects information on the number of workers on agricultural holdings, including the number of seasonal/ casual workers. The survey captures the number of people employed on commercial agricultural holdings on June 1st of that year. Until 2015 the number of seasonal workers was reported for the whole of the UK. From 2016, the published seasonal numbers are for England only. A significant number of these work in horticulture due to its high reliance on seasonal labour, however other agriculture sub-sectors also contribute to these figures. Defra does not collect data on the nationality of these workers. The information requested can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/structure-of-the-agricultural-industry-in-england-and-the-uk-at-june

Agriculture: Seasonal Workers

lord greaves: To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of any shortfall in seasonal workers in (1) the horticultural sector, and (2) other forms of agriculture, in each month of this year between April and October; and what steps they are taking to prevent a shortfall in future years.

lord gardiner of kimble: It is a key priority of this Government to enable an innovative, productive and competitive food supply chain, and we understand the sector’s concerns about securing the workforce it needs for the future. Defra does not collect data on any shortfall in the recruitment of seasonal workers, either in the horticulture sector or for the agriculture sector as a whole. However, we have continued to work closely with the industry to understand their labour demand and supply this year. Defra Ministers have ongoing discussions with a range of Government departments, including the Home Office, about securing the workforce that the farming industry needs for the future. The Home Office has also commissioned the Migration Advisory Committee earlier this year to assess the role EU nationals play in the UK economy, including farming.

Animals and Plants: Disease Control

baroness redfern: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much was spent in each of the past ten years on biosecurity in England in relation to (1) animal health, (2) bee health, (3) fish health, (4) invasive non-native species, (5) plant health, and (6) tree health, broken down by (a) policy functions, (b) inspectorate functions, (c) technical support functions, (d) response and control functions, and (e) research.

baroness redfern: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their estimate of the annual cost to the economy in each of the past ten years of (1) animal diseases, (2) bee diseases, (3) fish diseases, (4) invasive non-native species, (5) plant diseases, and (6) tree diseases, in England.

lord gardiner of kimble: Data on all these matters are not held centrally. Collation of this information would involve finance teams across five different organisations (Defra, APHA, Environment Agency, Fera and the Forestry Commission) analysing, collating and reconciling ten years of financial data stored in different formats and IT platforms. As a result, we are not able to provide the information within the given timeframe.

Agriculture: Vacancies

lord roberts of llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have held with representatives of the horticulture and agriculture industries concerning possible staff shortages leading up to, and following, Brexit; and what support they are giving to those industries to help them train and recruit new staff.

lord gardiner of kimble: We are closely engaged with industry to ensure that we are informed of the latest intelligence on labour supply and demand, now and in the future. Ministers meet with representatives from the food and farming industry to discuss a range of issues, including securing the workforce that they need. In September, the Farming Minister met representatives of the horticulture and agriculture industries at Defra’s Seasonal Workforce Working Group. This meeting explored future access to seasonal labour for the agricultural industry and best practice of attracting and retaining workers. On 5th December he attended the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Fruit and Vegetable Growers where he heard sector’s experience of the 2017 season. Government keeps its position on seasonal workers under ongoing review. Agriculture needs to attract entrepreneurial, talented new entrants who can rise to the challenges and opportunities that will occur in the sector in coming years. The Government provides grant support to the National Federation of Young Farmers Clubs (NFYFC) to provide training opportunities and promote and support entry into the farming sector. The Government’s reforms to technical education will provide clear routes to skilled employment in agriculture and other sectors. The Chancellor announced over £500 million of additional funding a year will be invested once routes across all sectors are fully implemented. With regards to the EU nationals living in the UK already, the Government has been clear from the beginning of our negotiations that protecting their rights is our priority, and on 8th December agreement on this was reached with the EU. After we leave the EU, we must have an immigration system which works in the best interests of the UK – controlling immigration whilst continuing to welcome those who make an invaluable contribution. The Government is considering the options carefully, and will ensure that businesses and communities, including representatives from across the food chain, have the opportunity to contribute their views. We encouraged industry to contribute to the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) call for evidence, as this will inform the future immigration framework.

Hunting

lord wasserman: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Gardiner of Kimble on 8 December (HL3602), whether they will place a copy of theHunting Act 2004 Investigators Manual in the Library of the House.

lord gardiner of kimble: The Hunting Act 2004 Investigators Manual was produced by the Association of Chief Police Officers and issued to Forces as a guide to enforcing the Hunting Act 2004. Any decision on making it publicly available is now a matter for the National Police Chiefs’ Council.

Department for Communities and Local Government

Private Rented Housing: Electrical Safety

lord kennedy of southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have received any representations which oppose mandatory electrical safety checks in the private rented sector.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: Following Royal Assent of the Housing and Planning Act 2016, a Working Group of relevant experts was established to provide recommendations to Ministers on what, if any, legislative requirements for electrical safety in the private rented sector should be introduced. The Working Group report has been published online at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/electrical-safety-standards-in-the-private-rented-sector-working-group-reportThe report draws together the views and opinions expressed by Working Group members.The Government will consult in the new year to test wider opinion on the recommendations of the working group to ensure that any regulation introduced is balanced and works for landlords and tenants. We also want to take account of the conclusions of the Independent Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety led by Dame Judith Hackitt before making policy decisions.



Electrical Safety Standards
(PDF Document, 322.38 KB)

Dementia: Rural Areas

baroness crawley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to support efforts by local authorities and community groups to tackle issues experienced by people with dementia and their carers in rural areas, such as isolation, lack of transport, and lack of broadband.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: The Government is committed to implementing the Dementia 2020 Challenge in full. We have supported dementia friendly initiatives and there are now over 2.2 million Dementia Friends and 225 Dementia Friendly communities in England, which cover a range of geographies including rural areas.Local authorities and community groups in rural areas will be best placed to consider and respond to the needs of their communities, including people with dementia and their carers and taking into account such issues as transport needs and broadband. In 2016/17, English local authorities outside London received £265 million of funding to support socially necessary bus services and the Community Minibus Fund has provided over 300 local charities and community groups across England with over 400 minibuses to use for the benefit of their passengers. Improving broadband is also a high priority for the Government, including in rural areas. £1.7 billion of public money is being invested to support vital improvements in superfast broadband coverage across the UK.We acknowledge that there is some evidence of increased cost of service delivery in rural sparse areas. This is why we provide specific funding for rural communities through the Rural Services Delivery grant which has provided £145.5 million for rural councils over the last two years.

Valuation Tribunal for England

lord kennedy of southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many members of the Valuation Tribunal for England there are; and how many cases that Tribunal has heard in each year since 2010.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: The Valuation Tribunal for England has 230 members, and a President. The Valuation Tribunal for England has decided, after a hearing, the following number of cases, relating to council tax and business rate appeals, since 2010:2010-11 - 28062011-12 - 27502012-13 - 31452013-14 - 37302014-15 - 41452015-16 - 38322016-17 - 3830

Department for Communities and Local Government: Standards

lord kennedy of southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what action the Department for Communities and Local Government plansto take regarding the result of its last staff survey that just one in five employees thought the department managed change well.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: The Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) 2017 People Survey showed that half of respondents felt that change is managed well in DCLG, with a further third indicating a neutral view. DCLG’s Departmental Leadership Team met on 19 December to review the 2017 survey results and consider the appropriate action to take in 2018. Leadership of change will remain a key focus, with our aim to build further on improvements delivered over recent years.

HM Treasury

Alcoholic Drinks: Excise Duties

lord brooke of alverthorpe: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact on the NHS of their decision to freeze duties on alcohol other than white cider.

lord bates: The costing of Budget measures includes only the direct consequences of those measures. The government does not attempt to quantify the indirect effects of Budget measures, such as the impact on the NHS, as those are dependent on many dynamic factors that are not feasible to accurately model. This is accordance with the methodology endorsed by the Office of Budget Responsibility. HM Treasury does consult with the Department of Health, the NHS and other public health bodies on alcohol duties, and will continue to do so.

Customs Declaration Services Programme

lord campbell-savours: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Customs Declaration Service for managing customs declarations at UK borders will be fully operational by March 2019.

lord bates: While the timetable remains tight, HMRC remains on track to deliver the Customs Declaration Service (CDS) by January 2019, and is hitting its critical milestones.

Customs

lord campbell-savours: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Customs Handling of Import and Export Freight system for managing customs declarations at UK borders will be capable of managing the volume of customs declarations in 2019–20 and 2020–21 if required.

lord bates: HMRC is ensuring that the Customs Handling of Import and Export Freight (CHIEF) system and its replacement, the Customs Declaration Service (CDS), will be capable of managing the volume of declarations that is expected when the UK leaves the EU.

Overseas Trade

lord campbell-savours: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many UK-based freight forwarding companies have Authorised Economic Operator status; and what support HMRC are providing tohelp such companies secure that status.

lord bates: There are currently 623 businesses in the UK who hold a valid Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) authorisation. HMRC does not capture data on the role of the authorisation holder in the supply chain so cannot provide the number of AEO status traders who are freight forwarding companies. The AEO programme is currently only available to businesses involved in the international supply chain; these businesses may also be involved in EU trade. HMRC offers substantial guidance on AEO on the Gov.uk website, additional guidance and learning modules are available on the EU web pages. HMRC also offers a helpdesk via email and telephone.

Customs Declaration Services Programme

lord campbell-savours: To ask Her Majesty's Government what back-up arrangements are to be put in place in the event of a failure of the Customs Declaration Service after March 2019.

lord bates: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) remains on track to deliver the Customs Declaration Service (CDS) by January 2019, and is hitting its critical milestones. HMRC has robust contingency arrangements in place if the Customs Declaration Service (CDS) is not ready by March 2019. Dual running of the existing Customs Handling of Imports and Export Freight (CHIEF) system with CDS is due to start in August 2018. HMRC can revert solely to CHIEF if necessary.

Bitcoin

lord greaves: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the implications of the increasing trade in Bitcoin, and of the case for greater regulation of the trade of Bitcoin.

lord bates: As with all policies, the government keeps its policy towards cryptocurrencies under review. For example, Government has recently published its National Risk Assessment of Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing, which included an examination of the risks associated with cryptocurrencies. The government is currently negotiating amendments to the European Anti-Money Laundering Directive which will extend regulation to virtual currency exchange platforms and custodian wallet providers. These amendments will enable competent authorities to ensure these firms are mitigating the risks regarding money laundering and terrorist financing. We expect these negotiations to conclude at EU level by early 2018, with a year for Member States to then implement the Directive.

Bitcoin

lord greaves: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the advice provided by the financial advice market in relation to Bitcoin; and in the light of that assessment, whether any changes to regulatory or legal framework for financial advice are required.

lord bates: The regulation of financial advisors is a matter for the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). The regulatory framework is determined in legislation by European Directives and the Regulated Activities Order, and the FCA sets the standards for firms that fall within that framework.

Customs Officers: Northern Ireland

lord kilclooney: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether HM Revenue and Customs officers operate in Northern Ireland to detect illegal movements of (1) fuel, (2) tobacco, and (3) alcohol liquor, between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.

lord bates: Yes - HMRC deploy a wide range of intervention measures to ensure that we effectively detect, deter and disrupt the most serious attacks on the tax system, wherever they take place. This includes HMRC Officers operating in Northern Ireland to detect and interdict illegal movements of fuel, tobacco and alcohol between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. Extensive multi-agency cooperation both with our partners in Northern Ireland and across borders is a key element of the operational response to fuel, tobacco and alcohol fraud together with other illicit trade between the UK and Ireland.

Tobacco: Smuggling

lord browne of belmont: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have held with international counterparts on the smuggling of illegal tobacco across the EU and into the UK.

lord bates: HMRC holds regular discussions with international counterparts regarding the smuggling of illicit tobacco which impacts on the UK. The majority of these discussions take place through HMRC’s Network of Diplomatically accredited Fiscal Crime Liaison Officers (FCLOs). FCLOs are posted to Embassies and High Commissions across the globe in key locations to tackle the threat with assistance from overseas Customs, Tax and Law Enforcement agencies. HMRC also works closely with multilateral bodies such as the World Customs Organisation (WCO) and Europol. FCLOs regularly share intelligence regarding illicit tobacco with overseas partners each year resulting in a revenue saving to the UK of over £500 million. Other areas of HMRC also share and request intelligence and evidence relating to illicit tobacco in order to directly disrupt and prosecute organised criminal groups smuggling illicit tobacco to the UK. HMRC’s Fraud Investigation Service and Risk and Intelligence Service also regularly engages with other EU member states in order to tackle illicit tobacco through fora such as EMPACT (European Multi-disciplinary Platform Against Criminal Threats), which includes Joint Action Days, and with Joint Investigation Teams through Eurojust. HMRC engage with the EU at a policy level and have recently agreed regulations for the introduction of an EU wide track and trace system for the control of genuine tobacco products under the Tobacco Products Directive. HMRC also work on the design and implementation of the EU illicit tobacco strategy, the Fight against Illicit Tobacco Trade (FITT).

Interest Rates

lord myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the case for publishing dot plots to enhance understanding of Bank of England interest rate expectations.

lord bates: The Monetary Policy Committee has full operational independence in setting monetary policy, including the communication of its policy stance. In 2013 the UK government undertook a comprehensive review of the monetary policy framework, and concluded that a flexible inflation targeting framework with an operationally independent central bank was the best approach, based on international best practice and historical experience.

Help to Buy Scheme

lord myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to review the extent to which profits and director bonuses at house builders Persimmon and Berkeley benefited from the Help to Buy equity loan scheme in 2015; and whether they have considered introducing a windfall profits tax on those benefits.

lord bates: The government has announced that the Help to Buy equity loan scheme will continue until March 2021 with an additional £10 billion of funding available. Help to Buy equity loan is intended to help people who otherwise would not be able to afford a deposit to buy a home. It is restricted to new-build properties to ensure that it also helps to drive up the number of homes being built. The programme has played an important role in supporting home ownership and house building since 2013.

Married People: Tax Allowances

lord warner: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether an English couple married in a humanist ceremony in Scotland are able to claim the Marriage Allowance.

lord bates: The Government introduced Marriage Allowance in 2015 to recognise marriage and civil partnership in the tax system and to help couples keep more of the money they earn. Those in legally recognised marriages and civil partnerships in the UK are eligible for Marriage Allowance. This includes humanist ceremonies in Scotland.

Northern Ireland Office

Absent Voting: Northern Ireland

lord maginnis of drumglass: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers byLord Bourne of Aberystwyth on 13 October (HL1671), 15 September (HL1448) and 3 July (HL3), whether they are now able to provide an update, including a summary of activity, on the review of absent voting procedures undertaken by the Chief Electoral Officer of Northern Ireland; and if, and when, any matters resulting from the review were referred to the Police Service of Northern Ireland for criminal investigation.

lord duncan of springbank: The Chief Electoral Officer has indicated she will write to the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland before the end of the year concerning her review of absent voting procedures at recent elections. A copy of the letter will be placed in the Libraries of the House. These are operational matters for the Chief Electoral Officer who has been clear that all allegations or evidence of possible electoral fraud have been referred to PSNI for investigation.

Department of Health

King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust: Accountancy

lord blencathra: To ask Her Majesty's Government who are the qualified accountants who have served on the Kings College Hospital Foundation Trust over the last five years.

lord o'shaughnessy: The qualified accountants who have served on the King’s College Hospital Foundation Trust Board between 2012 and 2017 are as follows: Executives: Colin Gentile, Director of FinanceAlan Goldsman, Strategic Development and Interim Director of FinanceSimon Taylor, Director of Finance Non-executives: Lord Kerslake, ChairChristopher Stooke, Non-Executive Director

Dementia: Rural Areas

baroness crawley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to support work to assist highly vulnerable people with dementia living in rural areas; and what assessment they have made of such work, including that of the Rural Dementia Friendly Task and Finish Group.

lord o'shaughnessy: Improving the skills and dementia awareness of homecare staff can have a big impact on supporting people with dementia in rural areas; over 100,000 social care workers have received some form of dementia awareness training and this is continuing as part of the national implementation of the Care Certificate. By 2020, we expect social care providers to provide appropriate training on dementia to all other relevant staff. The Department works closely with Alzheimer’s Society including through their Rural Dementia Friendly Task and Finish Group, and in establishing Dementia Friendly communities. The challenges of supporting people living in rural areas are raised frequently. The issues are kept under review by the sector partners of the Dementia Programme Board.

Medical Records

lord warner: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers byLord O'Shaughnessy on 27 November (HL3645 and HL3646), what guidance is provided to NHS doctors to assist them in determining whether access to medical records would be likely to cause serious harm to the physical or mental health or condition of the data subject, or any other person.

lord warner: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the influence of advice from medical defence organisations on doctors’ decisions regarding access to medical records.

lord o'shaughnessy: The Information Commissioner’s Office Code of Practice on Subject Access Request and Data Sharing Code of Practice provides general guidance about whether allowing access to some or all of patients’ medical records could cause serious harm to the patient or third party. Guidance from the Department, the General Medical Council and the British Medical Association highlights the process around how such decisions should be made. However, any decision to withhold access to medical records on this basis is for individual clinicians who are best placed to make that judgement on a case by case basis. The Department has made no assessment of the influence of advice from medical defence organisations on such decisions.

NHS: Employment Agencies

lord clark of windermere: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord O'Shaughnessy on 27 November (HL3070), whether each of the three NHS-approved framework operators for the provision of agency staff to the NHS is publicly owned.

lord o'shaughnessy: NHS Improvement has approved three framework operators for the supply of agency staff within the National Health Service, these are: Crown Commercial Services, the NHS Collaborative Procurement Partnership and Health Trust Europe. We can confirm that Crown Commercial Services and the NHS Collaborative Procurement Partnership are both publicly owned. The NHS Collaborative Procurement Partnership is the culmination of the collaborative working of four NHS procurement organisations; NHS Commercial Solutions, East of England NHS Collaborative Procurement Hub, NHS North of England Commercial Procurement Collaborative, and NHS London Procurement Partnership. We can confirm that Health Trust Europe is owned by Health Care America and is a privately owned company. In line with legal requirements they are hosted by University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust and are fully compliant with all legal obligations required to supply within the NHS.

Health Professions: Migrant Workers

baroness mcintosh of pickering: To ask Her Majesty's Government what will be the process of accreditation to enable (1) doctors, (2) nurses, and (3) other health professionals, from the EU and EEA to continue to practise in the UK post-Brexit.

lord o'shaughnessy: As set out within the joint report on progress by the United Kingdom Government and European Commission, published on 8 December, those healthcare professionals registered in the UK on the date of the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union will retain their right to registration and may continue to practise in the UK.

Four Seasons Health Care

lord myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether the hedge fund the H2 is a fit and proper owner of the largest care home public group in the UK.

lord o'shaughnessy: The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has advised the Department that the CQC does not assess whether owners of health and care providers are fit and proper and therefore they do not have a view on the appropriateness of H2. However, the CQC is making changes to their Registration function that in future should improve transparency of such ownership arrangements for the public.

NHS: Greater London

lord warner: To ask Her Majesty's Government what were (1) the approved annual revenue budget at the start of the financial year, (2) the total in-year revenue adjustments to the budget, and (3) the final audited or forecast revenue budget, for each NHS Provider trust in Greater London, for each of the last three financial years.

lord o'shaughnessy: The information is not available in the format requested. National Health Service trusts and foundation trusts are not funded directly from the Department. A trust’s income is received from NHS commissioners in return for the provision of healthcare services to their local population. Details of income received by trusts in the Greater London area, as defined by NHS Improvement, for each of the last three financial years is available in the attached table, due to the size of the data.



Greater London trusts income tables
(Word Document, 29.19 KB)

NHS: Finance

lord warner: To ask Her Majesty's Government which NHS Provider trusts were in special measures for all or part of the financial year in each of the last three financial years; what were the Care Quality Commission ratings for financial performance and service for those trusts whilst in special measures; and which trusts had a change of chair or chief executive whilst in special measures.

lord o'shaughnessy: The information requested is shown in the attached table due to the size of the data. There is not a Care Quality Commission (CQC) rating for financial performance and NHS Improvement does not consider any CQC criteria when placing a trust into Special Measures for Finance.



HL4178 tables formatted
(Word Document, 27.53 KB)

NHS: Greater London

lord warner: To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the increases in the total capital and revenue required to deliver each of the five most recent Sustainability and Transformation Plans for Greater London for the period to the end of the financial year 2020/21.

lord o'shaughnessy: The November 2017 Budget announcement has provided £2.6 billion of new capital funding for transformational schemes and also set an expectation that the National Health Service should raise a further £3.3 billion of capital for reinvestment by disposing of surplus land and buildings as well as private finance investment where this provides good value for money. London Sustainability and Transformation Partnerships (STPs) are working with national partners to determine requirements and opportunities in London. As part of the recently announced London health devolution agreement, a London Estates Board has been established, which includes representatives from all STP areas in London and a range of other health and care partners, including the Greater London Authority, to pull together and delivers plans at a London level. The Budget announcement also provided £2.8 billion of additional revenue funding for the NHS over this year and the following two years. NHS England is currently discussing how these funds will be deployed with national partners. All London STPs have established or are developing joint financial planning and risk share arrangements.

NHS: Drugs

lord bassam of brighton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether the ability of NHS doctors to provide the most clinically appropriate treatment to patients is being constrained by rules imposed by the General Medical Council, which are interpreted by doctors to limit them to using drugs within the scope of EU marketing authorisations and therefore may prevent doctors from exercising their clinical judgment to provide off-label and unlicensed medicines to NHS patients when it is clinically appropriate to do so.

lord o'shaughnessy: Clinicians can prescribe any treatment, including an unlicensed product or a product not licensed for a particular indication, which they consider to be the best available to meet the individual clinical needs of their patient, subject to their primary care organisation agreeing to fund the treatment. Decisions about prescribing rest with the general practitioner or other prescriber who has clinical responsibility for that particular aspect of a patient’s care. Prescribing is informed by a range of factors, including any national or local prescribing guidelines but, ultimately, the decision on what to prescribe is made by the prescriber themselves, using their own clinical judgement. The General Medical Council publishes advice to doctors on the standards expected of them through Good Medical Practice (GMP). This guidance includes good practice in prescribing and managing medicines and devices. On the subject of unlicensed medicines, the GMP states: ‘You should usually prescribe licensed medicines in accordance with the terms of their licence. However, you may prescribe unlicensed medicines where, on the basis of an assessment of the individual patient, you conclude, for medical reasons, that it is necessary to do so to meet the specific needs of the patient.’ All doctors must be familiar with and follow GMP and the explanatory guidance. Serious or persistent failure to follow this guidance could lead to fitness to practise procedures.

Eating Disorders

lord brooke of alverthorpe: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much funding is allocated to adult eating disorder services in the NHS; and how much of that allocated funding has reached front-line services in each of the past five years.

lord o'shaughnessy: The information requested is not collected centrally. NHS England is currently developing a pathway for adults with eating disorders and working with healthcare professionals so they better understand eating disorders. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence published its updated clinical guideline, Eating Disorders: recognition and treatment, on managing and treating eating disorders for the over 8s - including adults, children and young people in May 2017. A copy of the guideline is attached. For adults, NHS England is conducting a baseline audit to measure existing levels of investment, capacity and activity across inpatient and community services for adults with eating disorders.



Eating disorders: recognition and treatment
(PDF Document, 174.65 KB)

Eating Disorders

lord brooke of alverthorpe: To ask Her Majesty's Government, following the report of the Parliamentary and Health Services Ombudsman, Ignoring the alarms: how NHS eating disorder services are failing patients (HC 634), published on 6 December, what is their assessment of the conclusion of that report that funding for the eating disorder services in the case of Miss B was “woefully inadequate”.

lord brooke of alverthorpe: To ask Her Majesty's Government, following the conclusions of the report of the Parliamentary and Health Services Ombudsman, Ignoring the alarms: how NHS eating disorder services are failing patients (HC 634), published on 6 December, whether they have any plans to increase funding to eating disorder services in the NHS.

lord brooke of alverthorpe: To ask Her Majesty's Government, following the conclusions of the Parliamentary and Health Services Ombudsman, Ignoring the alarms: how NHS eating disorder services are failing patients (HC 634), published on 6 December, whether they have any plans to give adult eating disorder services parity of esteem with child and adolescent eating disorder services in the NHS.

lord o'shaughnessy: The Department recognises that funding for eating disorder service provision needed to be improved and, since 2013, the Government has embarked on a major programme to improve eating disorders services. The Government published the first national policy framework on learning from deaths for the National Health Service in March 2017. We now expect trusts, including mental health Trusts, to have proper arrangements for learning from deaths of patients in their care. For children and young people aged between eight and 18 years, the Government is investing £150 million to expand eating disorder services – with 70 new or enhanced services already in place. The Government’s aim is for the NHS to meet the Access and Waiting Time Standard for Children and Young People with an Eating Disorder by 2020/21 so that 95% of children with an eating disorder will receive treatment within one week for urgent cases and within four weeks for routine cases. For adults, NHS England is conducting a baseline audit to measure existing levels of investment, capacity and activity across inpatient and community services for adults with eating disorders. NHS England will develop evidence based treatment pathways across mental health services over the next five years in line with the recommendations of the Five Year Forward View for Mental Health. NHS England is working with the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) and the National Collaborating Centre for Mental Health (NCCMH) to ensure that each pathway is fully informed by the available evidence and the views of experts by experience. The NCCMH is developing a pathway for adults with eating disorders, together with detailed implementation guidance for providers. This work will complete in 2018. NICE published its updated clinical guideline on managing and treating eating disorders, including adults, children and young people, Eating Disorders: recognition and treatment, in May 2017. A copy is attached.



Eating disorders; recognition and treatment
(PDF Document, 174.65 KB)

Eating Disorders

lord brooke of alverthorpe: To ask Her Majesty's Government, following the conclusions of the Parliamentary and Health Services Ombudsman, Ignoring the alarms: how NHS eating disorder services are failing patients (HC 634), published on 6 December, what assessment they have made of the recommendations set out in that report; and what discussions they have held with the General Medical Council on reviewing the eating disorders training for junior doctors.

lord o'shaughnessy: The Government takes seriously the report of the Parliamentary and Health Services Ombudsman Ignoring the alarms: how NHS eating disorder services are failing patients. Mental health services in England are, currently, undergoing a major transformation and expansion programme, the Five Year Forward View for Mental Health, which includes an expansion in services for eating disorder sufferers. There are 70 community eating disorders services being developed to provide at least 3,350 children and young people a year with swift, effective eating disorder treatment in the community — for many this will mean they will be treated earlier and no longer need to go into hospital. Additionally the Government has committed, within its 2017 election manifesto, to: - Require all our medical staff to have a deeper understanding of mental health and all trainees will get a chance to experience working in mental health disciplines; and - Ensure medical exams better reflect the importance of mental health. Discussions have already been held between the Department and the General Medical Council to examine how mental health training for non-psychiatrist medical staff, including junior doctors, can be enhanced. Following on from the publication of the ombudsman’s report the Department will now work with our partner organisations and arm’s length bodies, including NHS England, to consider how the recommendations can be taken into account as part of the planned improvements to mental health and eating disorder services.

NHS: Standards

lord warner: To ask Her Majesty's Government who is accountable under current NHS legislation for alternating or relaxing the delivery of service targets provided for in the NHS Constitution; and whether those targets have the force of a legal obligation on either the Secretary of State or NHS England.

lord o'shaughnessy: The NHS Constitution established by the Health Act 2009 sets out access standards that patients should expect from the National Health Service in the form of rights which have a legal basis, and pledges which go beyond the legal rights. The NHS commits to seeking to achieve these pledges wherever possible. The Secretary of State for Health, NHS bodies, private and voluntary sector providers supplying NHS services, local authorities exercising public health functions, and Health Education England must all have regard to the Constitution in their decisions and actions. The Secretary of State is required to review the NHS Constitution at least once every ten years and to review the Handbook to the Constitution, which explains its rights and pledges, every three years. Both were reviewed and updated in 2015, with changes to ambulance response time standards added to the Handbook through an addendum published in August 2017. The overall Handbook will be reviewed and updated in 2018. Pledges in the Constitution cover a range of access standards which are reflected in the Government’s mandate to NHS England for 2017-18 and set out in NHS guidance.

European Food Safety Authority

lord whitty: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have for future relationships post-Brexit between (1) UK public agencies, and (2) UK industry, and the European Food Safety Agency.

lord o'shaughnessy: The future of the United Kingdom’s relationship with the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) will be shaped by forthcoming UK-European Union negotiations.UK Government Departments are currently working together to understand the impacts that withdrawal from the EU will have on the UK’s relationship with the EFSA. Government departments are considering a range of options for the future of scientific advice and risk assessment.The Department of Health, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Food Standard Agency's priority is to maintain the UK’s high standards of food and feed safety, and to ensure we take a risk-based, proportionate approach that prioritises the interests and protection of consumers.

General Practitioners: Training

lord hunt of kings heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their response to the conclusionof the joint Royal College of General Practitioner’s and Medical Schools Council report, Destination GP, that additional funding for GP student placements is required to encourage more medical students to become GPs.

lord hunt of kings heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of levels of funding for GP student placements.

lord hunt of kings heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to increase levels of funding for GP student placements.

lord o'shaughnessy: The Department sets the tariff for placements and as set out in the draft workforce strategy, Facing the Facts, Shaping the Future – A draft health and care workforce strategy for England to 2027, Health Education England (HEE) will advise ministers in spring 2018 on their assessment of options for reforming undergraduate and postgraduate tariffs to better support clinical learning environments and a larger learner population; including primary care. A copy of Facing the Facts, Shaping the Future is attached. HEE has implemented a range of improvements to increase the number of general practitioner (GP) training places to 3,250 each year. In 2017 3,157 new starters were recruited to training posts – this is the highest number of GP trainees ever. NHS England, HEE, the British Medical Association and Royal College of General Practitioners have been working together to increase the number of medical students choosing to enter specialty GP training.   



Facing the facts, shaping the future
(PDF Document, 4.87 MB)

Fentanyl

lord patel of bradford: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the increasing misuse of fentanyl; and whether they intend to introduce evidence-based key performance indicators for harm reduction initiatives in order to prioritise and support those initiatives.

lord o'shaughnessy: Substance misuse is lower than it was a decade ago but we must always be alive to emerging threats and the reports linking fentanyl to a number of fatal drug overdoses are extremely concerning. That is why the Home Secretary has asked the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs to investigate the risks around fentanyl analogues, so that we can maximise the effectiveness of our response. The Government’s updated Drug Strategy will capture the impact of wider health and social care costs and harms associated with drug misuse, including: hospital admissions related to drug misuse; rates of blood borne viruses and numbers of drug-related deaths, including on release from prison. Public Health England supports local areas in responding to the threat from fentanyl, and other potent opiates.

Pancreatic Cancer

lord porter of spalding: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to assess the National Cancer Diagnosis Audit in order to determine how well GPs are supported in recognising the symptoms of pancreatic cancer.

lord o'shaughnessy: The National Cancer Programme will review the outputs of the National Cancer Diagnosis Audit to inform targeted improvements for the earlier diagnosis of cancer, including pancreatic cancer. Early detection of cancer, particularly in primary care, is a key component of our work and is supported by Cancer Alliances across the country.

Obesity: Children

lord porter of spalding: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that children between the age of 10and 19 require hip replacements due to obesity; and what steps they will take to support local governmentbodies to improve public health in this regard.

lord o'shaughnessy: No assessment has been made centrally. Local authorities are being given over £16 billion to spend on public health over the five years of the 2015 Spending Review. We know that many are prioritising action to tackle obesity and increase physical activity according to their local need. Alongside this, our world-leading childhood obesity plan, launched in August 2016, aims to significantly reduce England’s rate of childhood obesity within ten years by helping children and families to recognise and make healthier choices and be more active. A copy of Childhood Obesity: A Plan for Action is attached.



Childhood Obesity Plan
(PDF Document, 336.53 KB)

Autism

the countess of mar: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have made an assessment of the findings of Matthew Mold et al on aluminium in brain tissue in autism, reported in the Journal of Trace Elements in Medicine and Biology; and if so, whether they will encourage further investigation of the link between the incidence of autism spectrum disorder and aluminium.

lord o'shaughnessy: No assessment has been made of the findings of this research. The Department funds research through the National Institute for Health Research which takes independent expert advice on which research proposals to support.

Organs: Donors

lord sheikh: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the Welsh Government's Evaluation of the Human Transplantation (Wales) Act which found that after the change in organ donation law in Wales the quarterly mean average of organ donation fell from 14.6 to 13.4.

lord sheikh: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the finding that since the introduction of the Human Transplantation (Wales) Act over 178,000 people have opted out of organ donation.

lord o'shaughnessy: A consultation impact assessment, Consultation on an opt-out system of organ and tissue donation, has been published as part of the Government’s public consultation. A copy is attached. This suggests that, when introduced as part of a wider communication and logistical package, opt out systems of consent can be associated with higher donation rates. Important evidence continues to become available from the Welsh Government on impact of the Human Transplantation (Wales) Act 2013, including that a longer period of time is needed to draw firmer conclusions on the impact of the change in the law. The Department invites further evidence to be submitted on factors not considered in the consultation analysis. These will be carefully considered before the Government’s final response to the consultation.



Consultation Impact Assessment
(PDF Document, 706.69 KB)